Several seat assemblies have been developed or proposed having an integrated child seat therein in which one or more panels in a seat back or seat cushion are rotatable about generally horizontal axes extending laterally across the seat assembly. The panels rotate between stowed and use positions. One typical feature of such seat assemblies is that when the child seat is deployed, the seat back and seat cushion surfaces of the child seat are different from the seat back and seat cushion surfaces of the adult seat. The result of such a structure is that the adult seat is typically of reduced foam thickness, and hence reduced comfort, compared to a seat not including an integral child seat. In addition, two seating surfaces are needed, one for adults and one for children, with the resultant need for additional cover material.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide an integral child seat in which the child seating surfaces are the same surfaces as used for an adult.
It is an advantage of the present invention that the reduction in adult seating comfort can be minimized in a seat assembly having an integral child seat.
The seat assembly of the present invention accomplishes the above objective by forming the child seat with a pair of side panels adjacent the upright sides of the child seat back that are movable from a stowed position, in which the panels form a portion of the adult seat cushion, to a forwardly extending position in which the panels serve as side bolsters along the sides of the child seat. Once moved to the use position, a trough is revealed in the seat back adjacent to each side bolsters, in which is stored the shoulder belts of the child seat restraint system. Between the two shoulder belts of the restraint system is the child seat back surface which is the same surface used by the adult seat occupant when the child seat is not in use.
The child seat assembly further includes a seat cushion which is movable from a stowed position, in which the child seat cushion serves as a portion of the adult seat cushion, to a raised position forming a booster seat for a child seat occupant. The movable portion of the adult seat cushion is preferably a forward section that is moved upward and rearward, into engagement with the seat back surface. This forms a cavity at the front edge of the child seat cushion which can form a footrest for a child seat occupant. Again, the child seat cushion is the same surface as that used for an adult.
Further objects, features and advantages of the invention will become apparent from a consideration of the following description and the appended claims when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings.